346 THE CEKEAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1883 



where in some cases ifc was from a fourth to a third less than 

 usual. In Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides also less rain fell : 

 bub elsewhere the rainfall exceeded the average, the greatest 

 excess occurring in the south-west of the country and in central 

 Perthshire. 



January. — The mean temperature of Scotland, taken as a 

 whole, was 1°'3 above the average of the month. The excess of 

 temperature was greater over the whole of the eastern slope of 

 the country from Eraserburgh southward, Upper Clydesdale, and 

 Dumfriesshire, where in some places it closely approached 2° ; 

 and the least in Shetland, the Hebrides, and the extreme west 

 and south-western countries, falling in some places to the 



average. 



The rainfall was half an inch above the averao^e, but its dis- 

 tribution over the country was unequal. It was under the 

 average over a broad belt extendino- from East Lothian and 

 Berwickshire on the east through Peeblesshire, Upper Clydesdale, 

 and Middle Ayrshire to the west ; over the greater portion of 

 Aberdeenshire ; and to the west and north of the Caledonian 

 Canal, — the deficiency being fully a third in parts of East 

 Lothian, Berwickshire, Skye, and Sutherland. Elsewhere the 

 month was w^etter than usual, particularly in central districts, 

 from Braemar to Lanark, and in Galloway. 



February. — Temperature was 2" above the mean of the 

 month, and the increase was equally divided between the days 

 and the nights. The least excess was in the west and south-west, 

 scarcely amounting in some cases to a degree ; and the greatest 

 excess in the eastern countries, and from Sutherland to Skye. 

 This mild weather was due to the fact that northerly winds 

 prevailed four days less, and south-westerly winds four days 

 more than the average, the necessary result of the distribution 

 of atmospheric pressure, which was nearly an inch lower at 

 extreme western as compared with eastern stations. 



The rainfall was fully an inch above the average, but it was 

 most unequally distributed over the country. In Shetland, 

 Orkney, the southern half of the Hebrides, parts of the counties 

 of Boss, Argyll, Ayr, Galloway, Forfar, Kincardine, and Aberdeen, 

 it was a half more than the average ; whilst at Braemar, Pit- 

 lochrie, and Pinmore near Girvan, it was fully double, and at 

 Aberfeldy thrice the average. On the other hand, it was under 

 the average, in some cases very considerably so, over a broad 

 belt extending from Paisley and Ayr in the west to St Andrews 

 and St Abbs in the east ; also in parts of Skye, the Lewis, 

 Moray, Caithness and Sutherland, at Cape Wrath only half the 

 average fell. 



March. — In this month, on the other hand, atmospheric 

 pressure was considerably higher at western than at eastern 



